Behind the word ‘simplification’ there may be a shorter form, an authorisation that lasts longer or a new way of organising checks. These changes do not have the same effects. The mandate adopted by the Council of the EU on 30 September on the safety of food and feed therefore merits being examined measure by measure, rather than treated as a general promise of lighter procedures.
A package affecting several links in the chain
The Commission presented this part of the package in December 2025. Its presentation covers, among other things, biocontrol products, the renewal of authorisations, certain feed additives and the procedures used by official laboratories. The stated aim is to reduce administrative burdens while maintaining a high level of protection.
These issues arise at different points in the food chain. A digital labelling option for an additive is not a rule on residues in food. To understand the debate, we must first identify the product concerned, the authority that makes the decision and the checks that remain in place.
Residues: a regulatory limit, not a slogan
The Council’s mandate envisages reducing certain particularly dangerous residue limits in imports to the technical zero level, following an impact assessment. It also provides for transition arrangements for products that comply with the previous limits. These provisions remain to be negotiated with the European Parliament.
A maximum residue limit is the legally permitted level in or on the products concerned. Without an analysis result or context, it does not allow a judgement to be made about a particular plate of food. The photograph accompanying this article illustrates food; it does not show food that is suspect or has been tested.
Authorisations: also consider what happens afterwards
The Council proposes giving priority to the assessment of biocontrol substances and extending certain approval periods. At the same time, it presents enhanced scientific monitoring by the European Food Safety Authority. The balance being sought must therefore be assessed over the entire period of use, not just when an authorisation is granted.
Our framework for assessing this is simple:
- What information is examined before the decision?
- How is new knowledge taken into account?
- Who can act if it changes the product assessment?
These questions help move beyond the abstract opposition between ‘more’ or ‘fewer’ rules. A clear procedure must make its criteria, responsible parties and means of response visible.
For readers in Luxembourg, the next milestone to watch is the compromise between the institutions. The 30 September mandate is not a new purchasing instruction or a rule that already applies to all products. The quality of the framework will be judged by the final text and by how its safeguards work.
Sources
- Council of the EU: 30 September 2026 mandate.
- European Commission: presentation of the food safety package.
Sources consulted on 1 October 2026.
